The undercard for the December 6th, Isaac Cruz vs. Lamont Roach event, will feature middleweight champions Erislandy Lara and Janibek Alimkhanuly battling in a three-belt unification clash. Those two are the chief support bout for the event on Amazon Prime Video PPV from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The event begins at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT.
Crawford Watching Closely
WBA 160-lb champion Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) will face IBF and WBO champion Janibek (17-0, 12 KOs) in their 12-round fight in the co-feature. Entertainment-wise, has an excellent chance of stealing the show from the main event. The winner of the Lara-Janibek fight could be a target for Terence Crawford if he moves down to 160 in search of a sixth division world title.
Cruz-Roach undercard
- Erislandy Lara vs Janibek Alimkhanuly
- O’Shaquie Foster vs Stephen Fulton Jr
- Jesus Ramos Jr vs Shane Mosley Jr
The WBC super featherweight champion, O’Shaquie Foster (23-3, 12 KOs), is defending against Stephen Fulton Jr. (23-1, 8 KOs). That fight is good enough to headline many cards.
Rounding out the main card is middleweights Jesus Ramos Jr. (23-1, 19 KOs) and Shane Mosley Jr. (22-4, 12 Os) battling for the interim WBC 160-lb title in a 12-round fight. This is the opener for the main card on Amazon Prime Video PPV.
“I’ve faced the best throughout my career, and this is no different. Janibek is a strong, skilled opponent, but I’ve never backed down from a challenge,” said Erislandy Lara about his unification fight against Janibek Alimkhnuly.
Cuba vs. Kazakhstan
The 42-year-old Cuban Lara is facing his most formidable opponent since his fight against Jarrett Hurd in 2018. Will Lara have enough left to defeat the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Janibek? That’s the question. There’s a potential big payday for Lara on the line if he wins this fight and Crawford moves down to 160 in search of his fourth division undisputed championship.
“On December 6, I will become unified middleweight champion of the world and take one step closer toward securing my place in the Hall of Fame,” said Erislandy.
For Janibek, this is a dream fight, as he’s been pushing hard for a unification fight at middleweight since he captured his WBO belt in 2022. He’d come up dry trying to lure WBC champion Carlos Adames, but he has finally struck gold with Lara.
“My goal is to unify four belts and make my name a part of history,” said Janibek. I’ve been calling out champions for a long time, and Lara agreed. The big fight. I’ll win my third title. History is almost made!”